The present disclosure relates to vertical die casting operations. Generally, in a vertical die casting press, a frame supports one or more vertical shot sleeves, and each sleeve receives a shot piston mounted on a shot piston rod connected to a hydraulic cylinder. The shot sleeve receives a molten die casting metal which is forced upwardly by the shot piston into a die cavity defined between a vertically moveable upper die member and a lower die member. The lower die member defines an opening through which the metal within the shot sleeve is forced upwardly into the die cavity to form a die cast part. After the molten metal has cooled within the die cavity, the upper die member is disengaged from the lower die member, and the lower die member can be shifted to a station where the part can be removed. The remaining solidified metal or biscuit within the shot sleeve can be removed by elevating the shot piston and pressing the biscuit laterally from the shot piston. When multiple shot sleeves are used in a press, the shot sleeves can be indexed between a metal receiving station and a metal injection or transfer station. Further details regarding the design and operation of vertical die casting presses may be gleaned from a variety of readily available sources including, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,866,666, 4,799,534, 5,332,026, 5,660,223, 6,913,062.
The present disclosure also relates to semi-solid molding (SSM) of metal alloys and the equipment and methods used for SSM, including vertical die casting presses, details of which may be readily gleaned from a variety of readily available sources including, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,901,991, 3,954,455, 4,434,837, 5,161,601 and 6,165,411. SSM is also discussed in a book entitled Science and Technology of Semi-Solid Metal Processing, published by North American Die Casting Association in October, 2001.